Four

Bear Goblin,

One of the Goblin variants.

Equally evil and greedy, but compared to their scrawny, frail cousins, Bear Goblins possessed physiques as strong as genetic mutations and swift, agile bodies.

They were cold-blooded and savage, with a certain degree of Intelligence. They had a rudimentary grasp of Goblin Tongue and Common Tongue.

Some assassin organizations in the western part of the continent even specifically recruited young Bear Goblins and trained them into professional killers.

Nearly every Bear Goblin, upon reaching adulthood, had the ability to become the chief of a Goblin tribe.

And once Goblins gained a Bear Goblin "boss," their courage and threat level would multiply explosively under their leader's brutal rule and formidable strength.

On the other hand, compared to the vast number of Goblins that spread across the entire continent like cockroaches, Bear Goblins were not particularly numerous.

After reaching adulthood and leaving their groups to fend for themselves, they were only scattered among Goblin tribes of all sizes.

With Henchmen to satisfy their greed for food and treasures, Bear Goblins often could not even be bothered to act personally, merely lazing in their nests like Great Dragons.

Unless they were excessively greedy or exceptionally unlucky, low-level adventurers rarely encountered them within their usual range of activity.

But likewise, once they faced one of the strongest individuals among these Goblin-like creatures head-on, the fate of adventurers who had not even obtained a Profession Level was obvious.

Roar—

A deep, aggressive roar echoed through the spacious cave.

A burly figure nearly seven feet tall slowly rose to its feet. Beneath its coarse reddish-brown fur lay thick, knotted muscles like those of a Brown Bear. Its tawny eyes reflected a dangerous gleam in the firelight, while sticky, foul-smelling saliva slowly dripped from the two tusks jutting up from its lower jaw.

What drew the most attention, however, was the Morningstar at its feet, nearly half a man's height.

Its slender handle made the black hammerhead stand out all the more. The dirt beneath it had sunk slightly under its weight, and its surface was densely studded with iron spikes. It was difficult to imagine the horrific result if such a weapon struck someone squarely.

"Ga Gu, hold it back!!!"

After a brief instant of panic, the fairly experienced Hunter Maji finally reacted and shouted at the Half-Orc at the front of the party.

Running was absolutely impossible.

They were only a dozen or so meters from the Bear Goblin. With its explosive power far beyond that of an ordinary person, it could cross that distance in the blink of an eye.

And though the cave was relatively wide, it could only fit two people walking side by side. It was nowhere near spacious enough for them to scatter and flee.

If they rashly turned to run and left their backs exposed, they likely would not even reach the cave entrance before the Bear Goblin tore all three of them to pieces.

They had to take the initiative!

"Xia Nan, deal with those Goblins beside it!"

A single Bear Goblin already required them to risk their lives.

If they also had to deal with those annoying green rats during the battle, their chances of survival would drop even further.

Therefore, Maji could only choose to trust this rookie who had just demonstrated his abilities, trusting that he could give the two of them room to focus their attacks on the Bear Goblin without interference.

Maji's tense shout snapped Xia Nan back to his senses.

Before he even had time to react, he watched Ga Gu at the front of the party grip his heavy Hand Axe and charge at the Bear Goblin with a wild roar.

Xia Nan realized something was wrong.

Unlike the other two in the party, his former self had merely been an ordinary farmer. He had never even heard the name "Bear Goblin," so naturally he had no idea how dangerous one was.

Yet judging only from Maji and the others' reactions, it was enough to show how urgent the situation was.

At that moment, he had no time to think further.

As soon as the Hunter finished speaking, he gripped his Longsword and charged toward the four Goblins at the side of the cave, forcing himself onward.

To be honest, Xia Nan was not entirely confident.

Unlike the chaotic melee during last night's ambush, without his teammates restraining and covering the enemy, he had to face the frontal assault of four Goblins at once in the open cave.

Perhaps it was coincidence, or perhaps he truly had some talent for battle.

As he watched the four green rats ahead hurriedly pick up their weapons, an idea flashed through his mind.

Facing four head-on is too dangerous. I have to divide the battlefield and attack fiercely to find a breakthrough!

Without the slightest hesitation, Whirlwind Slash, which his former self had trained to Level 4 through years of diligent practice, began gathering force almost instinctively as he ran.

Buzz—

A flash of cold light erupted!

The Goblin closest to Xia Nan was cleanly cut in half at the waist.

By then, the other three green-skinned beasts had already gripped their Wooden Sticks and charged forward side by side.

Completely immersed in battle, Xia Nan reacted quickly and kicked over the Iron Pot in front of him, its bottom glowing red from the fire.

Boiling broth mixed with murky grease poured out. The scorching heat made the Goblins who had nearly rushed up to him instinctively halt, and their formerly neat formation was split apart.

Plan accomplished!

Xia Nan lunged two steps forward, taking advantage of his greater height and build. He thrust his One-handed Sword forward with all his strength, and the sharp blade instantly pierced through the Goblin's fragile flesh and into its abdomen.

A fierce gust came at him. He twisted aside and dodged the swing another Goblin brought down from the flank.

At the same time, he did not pull the blade from the monster's flesh. Instead, leaving it skewered like a meat skewer, he unleashed Whirlwind Slash again.

"Sshhk!"

The sharp Longsword, carrying the strength of his entire body, tore through the Goblin's defenseless, frail body with overwhelming force.

It sliced sideways out through one Goblin's body and, amid the spray of dazzling blood, cut its other companion into upper and lower halves.

Only then did the last Green-skinned Bastard finally manage to get around the overturned Iron Pot and reach Xia Nan.

Then, seeing that it was the only one left, it once again displayed the cowardice of a low-level monster.

It threw away its Wooden Stick, turned, and tried to flee.

Xia Nan caught up in a few long strides and killed it with two thrusts.

"Phew... phew..."

Xia Nan panted heavily.

After only twenty seconds of intense concentration since the battle began, he had nearly exhausted more than half his stamina. Even his coarse linen clothes were soaked through with sweat.

His One-handed Sword remained clenched tightly in his palm, but his right hand would not stop trembling. An indescribable soreness throbbed through the muscles of his arm.

That was the side effect of using Whirlwind Slash twice in quick succession.

At least I completed the task the party gave me.

Xia Nan thought to himself.

Then he turned and looked toward the other side of the battlefield.

The two of them should also...

"Fuck!"